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The Nepal Electricity Authority has initiated the construction process for the 100 MW Kulekhani–Sisneri Pumped Storage Hydropower Project in Makwanpur district. The authority has begun work on determining the scope for the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The proposed project, to be built in the Indrasarovar Rural Municipality area, will use the existing Indrasarovar as the upper reservoir. Water stored there will be released into the Kulekhani Khola to generate electricity.

According to the plan, a new 36-meter-high dam will be constructed on the Kulekhani River near Rangche, about 4 kilometers downstream of the Indrasarovar dam, to form a lower reservoir with a storage capacity of approximately 1.54 million cubic meters.

To channel water from Indrasarovar, an intake structure will be built near Kalanki in Ward No. 2. From there, water will be conveyed through a tunnel about 1.9 kilometers long to a proposed powerhouse at Litpane. After power generation, the discharged water will be collected in the lower reservoir via a tailrace.

The project will be based on pumped storage technology, under which water stored in the lower reservoir will be pumped back to the upper reservoir during periods of low electricity demand. This is expected to make energy management more flexible and efficient.

The project is designed to generate electricity for 6 to 10 hours daily during peak demand periods. Two turbines of 50 MW capacity each will be installed in the powerhouse, with a design discharge of 68.12 cubic meters per second.

According to the authority, the project will not alter the total storage capacity of Indrasarovar. However, during daily operations, the water level in the upper reservoir may fluctuate by up to 2 meters, while fluctuations in the lower reservoir could reach up to 23.5 meters.

Considered important for managing energy demand and strengthening electricity supply during peak hours, the project is expected to make the country’s energy system more balanced and reliable once completed.

Urjasanchar